Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

sreigle · 04-19-2005, 04:44 PM

Rich, an awful lot depends on just what you do with your discretionary money, like for sightseeing, dinners out, etc. We find that our total monthly cost is nearly identical to when we were retired and living in a stick home with a house payment. We downsized from three vehicles to one, sold the house, etc. Since fuel costs have gone up, we've taken to usually spending more time in one place, letting the CG discounts offset fuel costs. Plus, not towing uses less fuel, also. And we find we like having time to really explore an area.

You'll probably find that staying at expensive places like Cape Hatteras is something you do when you are vacationing, because you save up to do that trip. As fulltimers, it's your fulltime lifestyle and you look at it differently. We'd probably stay ten to twenty miles further out and get a nice rv park at a much cheaper rate. We then could trip to Hatteras on our schedule, like during the week when things are a bit quieter and maybe just off-season. Etc. Occasionally we'll splurge and do something like that CG at Hatteras.

Your idea of hanging onto the house until you are sure you like the lifestyle is a good one. We took a five-week trial run before our house was sold, just to make sure we would like the change and could co-exist in a much smaller space without killing each other. My aunt and uncle fulltimed for six years before health required they stay put. They kept their stick home for the first six months, then sold it. Similar to what you are thinking.

Probably the hardest thing for us to adjust to was to slow down. To realize we are not on vacation. We don't have to see and do everything in two weeks. We have time to enjoy the trip getting there and to take our time enjoying it when we arrive. We have cleaning days (Vicki calls them 'reality days'), shopping days, and days we just are retired and don't do any sightseeing. Same as you would in a stick home. The first year or so was go-go-go, doing Big Bend National Park in a week, for example. Someday we'll go back there and take a month doing that park.

Rich, these are just some answers to your questions based on our experiences. It does not mean this will work for you. Nor does it mean this is the only way. I'm sure others will jump in and supply their insights as well. Good luck with it. It's a major change but, if done in a manner that works for you, it can be a very rewarding and pleasant way to spend a few years of your lives.

As for campground costs, we've never paid that much for a month. One thing that really helps is to stay for a week or a month in one place. Nearly every private (and a few public) parks will give you a significant discount for lengthy stays. For example, I know of a park in Kansas with a daily rate of $20. The weekly rate is $120 (stay six nights and get the seventh night free). Many parks do that. A monthly stay in the same park is $220 plus electricity (metered in that park). Electricity in that area (we used to live in the area) should run anywhere from $25 to $75 for the month in a Montana, including running the AC, washer/dryer, etc. If you stay longer than one month you may or may not get additional discounts, depending on the park.

Look into Good Sam, Escapees, and Passport America memberships. PA (Passport America) costs about $40/year to be a member and you get 50% off the daily rate at participating parks. These are not PA only parks but regular parks. As with any of these, some are pits, some are beautiful, most are inbetween. For a night or two it works for us. In California we were given the PA rate for our entire two-week stay (in the Greeley Hill area, near Yosemite). Most have some restrictions but we usually recoup our $40 (in savings) in the first month. This year it took us until March because we stayed two months of that time in one park, a non-PA park.

Good Sam and Escapees offer 15% off daily rates. You get some other benefits from them, though.
I budget for $22/night average and we very rarely exceed that.

edited after seeing Carol's post - Carol, we must have been composing at the same time. Yes, 25 months this Thursday and still going strong and loving it. As you know, we'll be at the same park as you in Mission, TX, but for just two months. I'd have to go dig out the paperwork but I believe we're paying $414/month plus elec. We also have reservations for this summer at a nice park about 20 miles from the west gate to Yellowstone. There we're paying $350/month for full hookups, including elec.

04-19-2005, 04:44 PM	#3
sreigle Montana Master Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Oceanside Posts: 20,028 M.O.C. #20	Rich, an awful lot depends on just what you do with your discretionary money, like for sightseeing, dinners out, etc. We find that our total monthly cost is nearly identical to when we were retired and living in a stick home with a house payment. We downsized from three vehicles to one, sold the house, etc. Since fuel costs have gone up, we've taken to usually spending more time in one place, letting the CG discounts offset fuel costs. Plus, not towing uses less fuel, also. And we find we like having time to really explore an area. You'll probably find that staying at expensive places like Cape Hatteras is something you do when you are vacationing, because you save up to do that trip. As fulltimers, it's your fulltime lifestyle and you look at it differently. We'd probably stay ten to twenty miles further out and get a nice rv park at a much cheaper rate. We then could trip to Hatteras on our schedule, like during the week when things are a bit quieter and maybe just off-season. Etc. Occasionally we'll splurge and do something like that CG at Hatteras. Your idea of hanging onto the house until you are sure you like the lifestyle is a good one. We took a five-week trial run before our house was sold, just to make sure we would like the change and could co-exist in a much smaller space without killing each other. My aunt and uncle fulltimed for six years before health required they stay put. They kept their stick home for the first six months, then sold it. Similar to what you are thinking. Probably the hardest thing for us to adjust to was to slow down. To realize we are not on vacation. We don't have to see and do everything in two weeks. We have time to enjoy the trip getting there and to take our time enjoying it when we arrive. We have cleaning days (Vicki calls them 'reality days'), shopping days, and days we just are retired and don't do any sightseeing. Same as you would in a stick home. The first year or so was go-go-go, doing Big Bend National Park in a week, for example. Someday we'll go back there and take a month doing that park. Rich, these are just some answers to your questions based on our experiences. It does not mean this will work for you. Nor does it mean this is the only way. I'm sure others will jump in and supply their insights as well. Good luck with it. It's a major change but, if done in a manner that works for you, it can be a very rewarding and pleasant way to spend a few years of your lives. As for campground costs, we've never paid that much for a month. One thing that really helps is to stay for a week or a month in one place. Nearly every private (and a few public) parks will give you a significant discount for lengthy stays. For example, I know of a park in Kansas with a daily rate of $20. The weekly rate is $120 (stay six nights and get the seventh night free). Many parks do that. A monthly stay in the same park is $220 plus electricity (metered in that park). Electricity in that area (we used to live in the area) should run anywhere from $25 to $75 for the month in a Montana, including running the AC, washer/dryer, etc. If you stay longer than one month you may or may not get additional discounts, depending on the park. Look into Good Sam, Escapees, and Passport America memberships. PA (Passport America) costs about $40/year to be a member and you get 50% off the daily rate at participating parks. These are not PA only parks but regular parks. As with any of these, some are pits, some are beautiful, most are inbetween. For a night or two it works for us. In California we were given the PA rate for our entire two-week stay (in the Greeley Hill area, near Yosemite). Most have some restrictions but we usually recoup our $40 (in savings) in the first month. This year it took us until March because we stayed two months of that time in one park, a non-PA park. Good Sam and Escapees offer 15% off daily rates. You get some other benefits from them, though. I budget for $22/night average and we very rarely exceed that. edited after seeing Carol's post - Carol, we must have been composing at the same time. Yes, 25 months this Thursday and still going strong and loving it. As you know, we'll be at the same park as you in Mission, TX, but for just two months. I'd have to go dig out the paperwork but I believe we're paying $414/month plus elec. We also have reservations for this summer at a nice park about 20 miles from the west gate to Yellowstone. There we're paying $350/month for full hookups, including elec.